The Nation Newspaper

Category: Celebrity

  • Bimbo Okoya: Diva ups her game

    Bimbo Okoya: Diva ups her game

    Fame is an intoxicant that gives its victim a momentary high and being the most talked about on the celebrity scene brings its own comfort.But these are ephemeral pleasures that yield no lasting legacy, and popular Lagos babe, Bimbo Okoya, appears to know that much. No longer does she lust for the fleeting glory of the limelight. Her latest moves are of a rather more lasting nature.

    Bimbo, one of the daughters of Aare of Lagos, Chief Rasak Akanni Okoya of the Eleganza fame, has left behind a life devoted to frivolities as she opts to make a name for herself in the business world. At a time, she ran AOMS, an integrated marketing agency located within the Eleganza premises on Adeyemo Alakija. And only recently, she joined the British American Tobacco Company in a high profile capacity. She has also been involved with the oil giant, OANDO Plc.

    On the personal front, Bimbo displays the resilience and determination that has driven her to succeed in the business world. Though her marriage to Liberian big boy, Prince Urey, sadly crashed like a pack of cards after just three years, she wasted no time picking up the pieces of her life and moving on.

  • Mohammed Gobir bounces back

    LIKE coastal residents rebuilding their town after a deadly hurricane, Mohammed Gobir has bounced back in a big way after his recent travails. After months of being haunted by the EFCC over an alleged fraud, the husband of beautiful Bolanle Gobir is set to bring back the good old days with his latest venture.

    The Chief Executive Officer of Lake Resources, Liquid Gold, and Stanmore Oil and Gas has launched an agricultural products export business. Taking advantage of the North’s vast potential in crops and livestock production, Gobir’s new company is set to bridge the gap between producers and end users.

    Before the EFCC came after him, Mohammed was a guy about town whose easy-going nature won him a place in the hearts of celebrity hostesses. With his new business off to a flying start, the good times should be returning very soon for the Kwara-born dude.

  • Pastor Esther Ajayi makes waves in London

    Pastor Esther Ajayi makes waves in London

    FROM homelessness to superstardom and from an unknown furniture seller to a hot cake in the Christian world, the rise of Pastor Esther Ajayi is like a Hollywood movie. Like the famed heroine in a popular story, the experienced woman of God had suffered many setbacks, but she kept believing. Now the small-time pastor who could not keep the few church members she had has become a pastor to billionaires.

    Pastor Esther’s Love of Christ Generation Church C & S, located on Clapham Road, London, has become the choice worship centre for billionaires and the children of the Nigerian elites based in London. Her influence over the Christian community in the UK is growing steadily. Her church, which is said to have cost more than five million pounds to acquire and renovate, plays hosts to affluent and well-connected Nigerians on a regular basis.

    And while she is popular in London, she is by no means an unknown quantity in Nigeria. Not too long ago, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, conferred on her the title of Iya Aladura of Ile-Ife, in recognition of her zeal for spreading the word of God.

    Her London church has at several times played host to household names in gospel music, including Ebenezer Obey, Yinka Ayefele, Atorise, Rev. Bayo Adelakun of the Ayewa fame, among others.

  • Marriage on the cards for Bobby Eke

    Marriage on the cards for Bobby Eke

    THE gist in town is that celebrity hair stylist Bobby Eke is finally tired of swimming in the lake of singlehood and ready to settle down with his missing rib. A name that needs no introduction, Bobby Eke is the brains behind Bobby Signatures on Bode Thomas, Surulere, and Ogundana Street, Ikeja, Lagos.

    Many a Lagos big girl and celebrity babe has the celebrity hair stylist to thank for her amazing look. In fact, his business centres have become an unofficial hangout spot for the happening girls in town to meet and gist while waiting for Bob to perform his magic on their scalps.

    Amazingly, despite his line of work, Bobby has remained single well into his 50s. This has left rumours flying around, especially when he went down with stroke a few years ago and there was no woman by his side to take care of him. But all that has been confined to the dustbin of history with the news that he has finally found his life companion and cannot wait for the day he would leave the bachelors’ club.

  • Bishop Okwudili Eze over the moon

    SOME are famous for their wealth, some because they wield power and some because of some daring or ignoble deeds. Stylish man of God, Bishop Okwudili Eze, has his unwavering diligence in God’s vineyard to thank for his fame. The popular Abuja bishop and charismatic founder and general overseer of Zion Heritage and Miracle Ministries was a year older a few days ago and there was a massive turnout of well-wishers at the event.

    While other Christians pay lip service to the biblical injunction to be the light of the world, Bishop Eze, who also serves as Chancellor at Enthronement Bible Institute, sees it as a personal mantra. So dedicated is he to bringing the Good News to all and sundry that he has written more than 58 books touching on different aspects of the Christian experience.

    Those who know the amiable bishop will tell you that foremost on his mind is how to take his ministry to the next level. Thus there was little surprise among the high profile guests when he used his birthday as an opportunity to launch his latest book titled, Becoming a Blessing to your Church.

  • Oba Oniru celebrates 80th birthday in style

    Oba Oniru celebrates 80th birthday in style

    WEDNESDAY, September 6, marked a milestone in the life of His Royal Majesty, Oba Abiodun Idowu Oniru, the 14th Oniru of Iruland, Victoria Island, Lagos. The revered monarch and father of popular OAP Toolz turned 80 in style. Oba Abiodun, one of the richest monarchs in Lagos, was instrumental to transforming the Iru Kingdom from its village status to a thriving site of stunning architectural masterpieces.

    In recognition of a lifetime of outstanding service to his people, the red carpets were rolled out for Oba Oniru as he joined the exclusive club of octogenarians on Wednesday. Events to mark his birthday commenced in earnest on Monday with a cultural day showcasing the people’s rich and diverse culture, followed by a thanksgiving service on Tuesday.

    The grand celebration on Wednesday witnessed a turnout of the royalty and elites of Lagos who came in droves to celebrate with one of their own.

    Oba Oniru was born in 1937 and learned the ropes from his father before ascending the throne of Iruland. A businessman and civil engineer, he is the brains behind the elite Oniru Estate in Victoria Island.

    His first son, Aremo Segun Oniru, is one of the happening dudes on the Lagos social scene.

  • Between the Awujale and Otunba Mike Adenuga

    Between the Awujale and Otunba Mike Adenuga

    FOR billionaire chairman of Globacom, Otunba Mike Adenuga Jr, the family unit is not just an important institution of life but about the most important. And he sees the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, not just as a monarch but as a father. Little wonder Adenuga and his telecommunication company, Globacom, have become the default backers of any event organised by the respected monarch whether in personal or official capacity.

    So tight is the bond between the Apesin of Ijebuland and the Awujale that they have become each other’s confidants. Adenuga, ranked by Forbes as the second richest man in Nigeria, is connected to the Awujale with more than hailing from the same community. His mother, Oyindamola, hails from the Ijebu royal house, which makes him not just a friend and subject of the Awujale but also a brother.

    Adenuga is never tired of seeking opportunities to demonstrate his love for the Awujale. In terms of financial backing, his companies are always at the forefront of popular Ijebu festivals or events held under the Awujale’s watch. The Ojude Oba Festival, the jewel in the crown of Ijebu cultural showpieces, has been sponsored by Globacom in the past 12 years, and this year’s will not be an exception.

  • CBN Governor Emefiele in quiet 56th birthday celebration

    GODWIN Emefiele, the boss of the Central Bank of Nigeria, one of the nation’s most important establishments, is incredibly reclusive when it comes to social matters. It was his 56th birthday recently, but rather than the high drama and fanfare that usually accomplish the birthday celebrations of other men and women of his status, there was only a quiet celebration with family members and friends. So quiet, in fact, that the day came and went with many people caught unawares.

    As the country’s financial gatekeeper, the amiable beau of Margaret was said to have been wary of any noisy celebration at a time when the country’s political and economic situation remains precarious, hence he opted for a low key celebration with close friends and family members who only joined him in thanking God for seeing him through difficult times, while asking for strength to successfully navigate the tasks ahead.

  • Why Unoma Akpabio quit social spotlight

    Why Unoma Akpabio quit social spotlight

    THERE are different routes to life’s journey from the straight and narrow to the wide and bumpy. And no individual travels on one route only. Unforeseen circumstances often force a detour. That is the situation with Unoma Akpabio.

    Once a traveller on the fast lane of fame, she has changed course, learning how to quietly navigate the difficult terrain of her current path. The wife of the former governor of Akwa-Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, Unoma is now a stranger to the life she was once so familiar with. Gone are the swashbuckling parties in Abuja, Lagos and Uyo. In their place is the quietude and loneliness that comes with managing her health condition.

    It will be recalled that not too long ago, the internet was awash with speculation that the beautiful woman had passed on in a German hospital. That rumour was false, but it turned out that she had been seeking solutions to a post-surgical complication following her delivery of a baby through caesarean section.

    Now, no longer a fixture on the social radar, the Enugu-born woman has adjusted her ways and now spends most of her time managing her business and caring for her family.

  • Orange Drugs boss’ daughter welcomes second child

    ORANGE Drugs supremo, Tony Ezenna, is over the moon at the moment. No, it is not because the money keeps coming in, even though it helps his mood. It is because there is a new person in his life to call him Grandpa. His first daughter, Uchenna Ezenna-Gboneme, was delivered of a bouncing baby boy in Houston, Texas over the weekend.

    But the birth of the cute baby named Ezra is not the only cause of joy for Tony and the couple, Chukwueke and Uche. The fact that the family escaped unscathed from the floods that devastated much of Houston last week was also a cause for joy and thanksgiving. Ezra is the second child of the couple whose society wedding three years ago was the talk of the town. Their other kid is a two-year-old girl named Olanna.